Chapter 131: Suspended High Tower 103
Luo Xue slowly opened her eyes. The weakness suppressed by the immortal will had dissipated, replaced by the disorientation of waking from a long sleep.
The surroundings were dim, only a few faint rays of light penetrating through the cracks.
“Where am I…”
Luo Xue tried to stand up, but found her limbs pinned down, unable to move.
Memories of the post-apocalyptic world gradually returned. She remembered that the last time she died in this world, it was because she was crushed by falling rocks.
But… did she really die last time?
Or rather, was she considered alive now?
Phoenix Venerable’s words echoed in her mind, and she couldn’t control her thoughts, her mind racing.
“Could this… be another dream?”
But Luo Xue quickly stopped this dangerous line of thought.
She had similar doubts in the Immortal Martial World, but she knew that pursuing this further might drive her to madness before she found any answers.
No matter what, since she was experiencing all of this, she could only treat it as reality.
After figuring this out, Luo Xue’s mind cleared, and she struggled to sit up.
For an Innate Realm cultivator, these falling rocks would be fatal, but for a Foundation Establishment cultivator with protective spiritual energy, moving them was easy.
“Right, there’s also that assassin with near Spirit Condensation strength…”
Luo Xue suddenly remembered Ling Ling, who was still in the camp, and her movements quickened.
She didn’t know how much time had passed in the post-apocalyptic world and could only hurry to move the rocks.
However, Luo Xue could sense that the energy circulating within her wasn’t the Xuanyin Phoenix Transformation Scripture she was used to, but the Falling Flower Scripture of the Peerless Summit Sect.
And the dangerous Eternal Withering Body was also temporarily gone.
This made Luo Xue relieved. After all, she couldn’t bring that thing back.
Not to mention that the Eternal Withering Body would create a desolate forbidden zone, but also, Luo Xue in her withering state, although powerful, couldn’t do anything but slumber.
Even if she couldn’t use the Xuanyin Phoenix Transformation Scripture now, her Foundation Establishment cultivation was real.
Moreover…
Luo Xue’s fighting style was rather unrestrained, usually wielding a heavy sword, which was more like a body cultivator. The influence of her technique on her combat power wasn’t that significant.
Perhaps Luo Xue wasn’t strong enough to dominate the entire post-apocalyptic world yet, but dealing with a little Spirit Condensation assassin wasn’t a problem.
Soon, the surroundings gradually brightened, and Luo Xue finally cleared a path through the rocks, seeing the sky again.
The scorching sun beat down mercilessly, the surrounding trees withered, and the ground was covered in cracks.
The air temperature was at least sixty degrees Celsius, hot enough to burn human skin upon contact.
Of course, for Luo Xue, this temperature was no different from an ordinary summer day. She didn’t even need to use her protective spiritual energy.
But such weather meant…
“How… how much time has passed?” Luo Xue’s pupils constricted, her breathing quickening.
She looked towards the camp, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
Last time… the surrounding environment was the lingering chill of the extreme cold disaster, and now… it looked like the beginning of the scorching sun disaster.
If it was the later stage of the scorching sun disaster, even the rocks around Luo Xue would turn to dust, becoming part of the parched earth.
Luo Xue didn’t hesitate and immediately headed towards the camp.
The camp wasn’t far from the small forest. With Luo Xue’s current cultivation, she reached it almost instantly.
Luo Xue’s expression turned serious. Holding a sharp, elongated stone, similar to a dagger, she cautiously entered the camp.
“…”
The camp was silent.
The wooden huts were dilapidated, but still intact, with no signs of fighting.
Luo Xue didn’t call out for Ling Ling, but focused on sensing her surroundings.
She didn’t want to alert anyone before understanding the situation. This was the experience Li Guijiao had taught her, to always be cautious.
Finally, Luo Xue reached the center of the camp and saw a large pot on the ground, surrounded by weathered wolf bones.
The pot was empty, but from the remaining traces, she could see that meat soup had been cooked in it.
Luo Xue remembered that on the day she left, the pot was filled with the game she had hunted.
But… where was Ling Ling?
Luo Xue walked a few more steps and reached the cellar, the camp’s storage and shelter.
As soon as she opened the cellar, a nauseating stench assaulted her, seemingly from rotting flesh and blood.
Luo Xue calmly dispelled the stench and, with the faint light from her eyes, saw everything inside the cellar.
“…No signs of being disturbed. It’s all the game I hunted before.”
Luo Xue was slightly relieved. The worst-case scenario hadn’t happened.
At least… she didn’t see Ling Ling’s corpse in the camp.
No news was good news.
And there were no signs of fighting in the camp, not even the large pot in the center had been overturned.
It was more like Ling Ling had left the camp after finishing the soup.
It was a pity that Luo Xue didn’t have any time-reversing techniques. Otherwise, she could see what had happened in the camp.
Now… only one clue remained.
That assassin.
Although Luo Xue didn’t know his name or where he came from, she remembered his face.
Perhaps because he underestimated Luo Xue, or perhaps he didn’t bother to hide, the assassin hadn’t concealed his appearance.
With the memory of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Luo Xue could easily recreate the assassin’s appearance, down to every single hair.
“Hmm… I should head to the nearest Suspended High Tower.”
Luo Xue looked up at the seemingly endless sky and took a deep breath.
She knew that this sky, seemingly shrouded in endless shadows, was the only place where humans could survive, only the sky could escape the ubiquitous natural disasters.
Three hundred and twelve Suspended High Towers…
These were the true human civilization in this post-apocalyptic world.
The endless wasteland and the displaced Wastelanders were just the abandoned ones.
…
“Docking procedure with Suspended High Tower 103 complete. Initiating ‘Tower Engine’ deceleration!”
“Deceleration normal, course correction normal, initiating engine shutdown sequence. Repeating, initiating engine shutdown sequence!”
“Docking procedure activated! Docking with Suspended High Tower 103!”
With a rumbling sound, the towering city in the sky slowly descended.
Scorching hot air waves surged around the city, sweeping through the surroundings, but firmly contained within a certain range.
Not far away, the Wastelanders on the ground looked up at the Suspended High Tower, a flicker of longing and hope in their desolate eyes, but they were stopped by armed soldiers.
Even though the Suspended High Tower had landed, the Wastelanders couldn’t enter.
Only Tower People, or Wastelanders with special permission, could approach the city.
The scorching air waves didn’t last long, and soon, the vast tower city landed on the ground, its grandeur a stark contrast to the desolate surroundings.
“Docking complete! Mission successful!”
“Suspended High Tower 103 commencing 12th day-night cycle maintenance. Estimated duration: two tower cycles.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, praise be to the True God! This is a rare opportunity for a pleasant journey on the wasteland. Come out and enjoy it!”
A portly, middle-aged man in a top hat stood on the city wall, addressing his citizens enthusiastically.
And not far from the prosperous Suspended High Tower was a crowd of huddled Wastelanders, their thin bodies and sallow faces a stark contrast to the city’s mayor.
But… for the Wastelanders, this was a grand occasion.
This was their only chance to interact with the Tower People.
Many kind-hearted Tower People were eager to help these struggling Wastelanders, and some lucky Wastelander children might even be taken in by wealthy Tower People, brought onto the Suspended High Tower, and live a happy life away from the wasteland.
Even without being rescued, the Tower People’s generosity was also an opportunity for the Wastelanders to earn some resources.
Luo Xue, wearing a tattered cloak, stood among the crowd of Wastelanders, looking up at the Suspended High Tower, her face filled with wonder.
This was her first time seeing a Suspended High Tower. Her previous camp wasn’t on any tower’s route. She had only heard about them from the adults.
Even this kind of gathering, she had only heard rumors.
Luo Xue now possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation. Although she didn’t know which level of ability user this corresponded to, she was strong enough to survive alone in the wasteland.
Coupled with her enhanced senses from cultivation, Luo Xue quickly found a Wastelander settlement and learned about the Suspended High Towers.
Human civilization had a total of 312 Suspended High Towers, each with a number.
These weren’t names, but they were recorded in the Federation, and each tower followed a specific route.
Completing a route was called a tower cycle, which took about two and a half months.
As for the twelve day-night cycles, the periods with frequent scorching sun disasters were called “Eternal Day,” and the periods with frequent extreme cold disasters were called “Eternal Night.” Together, they formed one day-night cycle.
The duration of a day-night cycle wasn’t fixed, but it was usually several decades.
However, Eternal Day didn’t mean there were no extreme cold disasters, and Eternal Night didn’t mean there were no scorching sun disasters.
So far, the surviving human civilization had experienced twelve day-night cycles, and they were now in the twelfth Eternal Night, about to enter the thirteenth Eternal Day.
At the end of the twelfth Eternal Night, all Suspended High Towers had to land for maintenance to ensure their smooth operation during the thirteenth Eternal Day.
“The upcoming thirteenth Eternal Day…”
Luo Xue sighed softly, feeling a bit emotional.
The beginning of each Eternal Day was when natural disasters were most frequent.
During the first tower cycle of the twelfth Eternal Day, the surface temperature had reached a scorching 120 degrees Celsius, a true fiery furnace.
More than 60% of the Wastelanders couldn’t survive the initial period of Eternal Day.
For Wastelanders… survival was always the most difficult thing.
The gates of the Suspended High Tower slowly opened, and many Tower People looked at the scenery outside with anticipation. They were curious about every sight on the wasteland, even though these sights were deadly to Wastelanders.
Compared to Wastelanders, the Tower People looked more like… normal humans. Their bright and clean appearance reminded Luo Xue of her previous life, of the people in big cities.
But now…
“I have to find a way to sneak into the Suspended High Tower.” Luo Xue’s expression turned serious.
She wasn’t here for a comfortable life, but to find Ling Ling.
Her only clue was that assassin, and the only place to obtain information about him… was inside the Suspended High Tower.
At this moment, Luo Xue missed the Sha sisters. If they were here, it would be much easier. She wouldn’t have to do it herself.
Professional matters should be handled by professionals, and Luo Xue wasn’t good at gathering information.
Thinking of this, Luo Xue took advantage of the crowd, used the Thousand Faces Cultivation Art to disguise herself as the ghostly girl Li Guijiao had used before, and naturally blended into the group of sightseeing Tower People.
With her current disguise skills, although she couldn’t achieve a perfect disguise, at least her face wouldn’t be recognized.
And Luo Xue’s appearance didn’t resemble that of a Wastelander. Even if she was naturally beautiful, in the harsh conditions of the wasteland, it was difficult to maintain one’s appearance.
Soon, some of the sightseeing Tower People were about to return to the Suspended High Tower, and Luo Xue, casually blending in, intended to enter with them.
But…
As she reached the docking platform, two soldiers stopped her.
“Excuse me, Miss.”
The soldiers looked at Luo Xue, a puzzled expression on their frowned faces. “Did… you drop something?”
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